Planning Board Operating Short-handed; Commissioners the Reason

By Ron Fitzwater

As the year begins, the Ashe County Planning Board starts their work short-handed. The reason for the shortage lies with the Ashe County Board of Commissioners and their vision as to the direction the planning board should be going.

Over the past several weeks, the commissioners took steps to change the face of the planning board by appointing attorney Gene Hafer to replace the departing Della Deal, rejecting the reappointment of Russell Reeves and denying the application of Henry Doss.

Hafer was placed on the planning board during the board's previous configuration, which included former commissioner and current planning board member Marty Gambill, and operated under the leadership of former board chair Richard Blackburn.

"Gene Hafer was put on the planning board because of his qualifications," Blackburn said, adding that Hafer had been an easy choice for the board because of his legal background, knowledge of the county's needs and his commitment to the county through pro-bono work with county non-profits.

Board chair Judy Poe agreed, describing Hafer as "very qualified for the position."

Russell Reeves, who calls himself just another member of the community, said he wasn't surprised to not be reappointed because of his tendency to "tell the commissioners what I think about them and the job they do."
As with Hafer, the decision on Reeves' continued service was made during Blackburn's tenure as board chair. When asked directly about the decision, Blackburn's only comment was that when Reeves' name was presented "no one made a motion to retain him."

McMillan gave a more inclusive statement on the issue saying, "Russell is pretty outspoken on what he does and some of the board liked him on there because he had his own opinions. And you have to look at every opinion. But out in the community, and Russell did this, here, on occasion here, when you call the commissioners vulgar names and say they don't know what they're doing,' and they are the ones who appointed you to a position, you ought to have, if nothing else, some respect to the people who put you in a position to help the county. When you start calling those kinds of people vulgar names, when your appointment is up, it's pretty much going to be up.

"That's not to say that they didn't appreciate the work he did, but there are other people on the board with farming experience and Larry Wohlers works at the [Upper Mountain] Research Station," he said.

Henry Doss was nominated for the board at the same time the board was restructuring itself as a result of the 2008 elections. Judy Poe took over as chair and Gerald Price re-joined the board.

In keeping with standing board practice, commissioners require two readings of the name(s) for appointment to any board overseen by them. Doss' name had been read and passed on for a second reading by the newly arranged board.

"What happened was when they first called for a vote, it was Gerald's [Price] first meeting and he voted with the rest of the board. I don't believe he would have, had the chance to look at his [Doss'] resume.

"Before the second vote, there was some question as to whether we might be getting too many developers on the board or too many people who are not from the county and who might not be community minded, and Henry is a developer. I think what they had in mind was 'we want to make sure we keep a good mix, and if we already have some developers on the board, maybe we need to look at someone else.' It's not that we won't put him on, we just won't put him on right now," McMillan said.

Poe, for the most part, agreed with McMillan's assessment of the board's reasons for denying Doss the post, explaining that she felt it was important to get "regular people" on the board. She emphatically denied that political affiliation paid any part in the decision. Doss has been an out spoken Democrat and with the three votes that kept him off the planning board coming from the three Republican commissioners, the idea had been advanced that politics played a large part in the decision.

Poe explained that the commissioners have heard from board members who are developers and contractors for a while now and what the commissioners needed to hear from were the people who are not in those fields. She hoped some of them would apply.

"We need to hear from them about what their needs are. Someone like that on the board would foster new ways of approaching some of the unresolved issues on the planning board's agenda."

Planning Board Chair Rick Surber, who had appointed Reeves to the planning board during his time as a county commissioner, said he was surprised and disappointed that Reeves would no longer be on the board and he felt he had done a good job for the county.

Additionally, Surber said that all planning board members serve at the pleasure of the commissioners, and he would work with any and all members placed on the board by them.

The Ashe County Planning Board meets the first and third Thursday of every month, except on holidays, at 5:30 p.m. in the small courtroom on the third floor of the Ashe County courthouse. For more information on the Ashe County Planning Board or to look up county ordinances pertaining to planning and development issues, click to www.ashecountygov.com/Planning/index.htm.